School trips can help your students prepare for GCSEs

Exams are on the horizon, so now is a good time to explore how school trips can help your students prepare for GCSEs.

At WorldStrides, we’re great believers in taking learning outside of the classroom, and we know that it’s a great way to cement learning and get your students thinking outside of the box.

Not convinced yet? Let us show you how school trips can help your students prepare for GCSEs.

Why is now the best time?

January marks the beginning of crunch-time for GCSE students. However, there probably aren’t any intense revision sessions that trip attendees would miss.

Also, by this point in the academic year, your students will be familiar with much of the curriculum and may wish to explore specific areas further. School trips can give them the opportunity to do so, and provide an additional layer of knowledge that is sure to prove worthwhile in exams.

What are the benefits of school trips abroad?

We know we might be biased, but there are lots of benefits to school trips, most of which can prove invaluable during exam season. Students who go on school trips can:

Improve their self-confidence

Students will become confident enough in themselves, in their knowledge and in their ability to do well in exams.

A trip abroad will also show students that there’s more to life than tests. This is important, as stress levels among teens are increasing rapidly. By putting GCSEs into perspective, they’ll be able to approach them with a new confidence that will help them achieve their goals.

Gain independence

For GCSEs, students need to revise at home, alone – a tough challenge for most!

Students who go on trips abroad get their first taste of independence and start to realise how important self-motivation and hard work is. This is a great mindset to have around exam time!

Build knowledge and encourage out-of-the-box thinking

School trips that tie into the curriculum can really make a difference to students. Seeing the curriculum come to life is just one way school trips can help your students prepare for GCSEs.

A trip abroad will show students how concepts are applied in real life and demonstrate the wider-reaching effects of the subjects they’re studying.

How to make sure your school trips can help your students prepare for GCSEs

1. Pick the right destination

Look at your textbooks when you’re planning the itinerary. If you can find something to work into the trip that you’ve already covered, you can really help bring the subject to life.

2. Tailor it to your students

Some students may need help in different areas. While on the trip, subtly point out elements they need to focus on that might inspire them.

This is a great time to do so as you will have been teaching them for a term and will know the areas they need to improve on.

3. Make it fun

Holidays are fun and exciting, so use this as an opportunity to bring that positive energy into your subject and the curriculum.

School trips are a great way to relieve exam stress and emphasise that learning doesn’t have to be all about your GCSE results. School trips can help your students prepare for GCSEs; you just have to plan them in the right way.